Pulp Fiction (1994) - Trailer (HD) - YouTube Pulp Fiction (1994) - Trailer (HD) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May 29, 2013 Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and a host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture; Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. It was also awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. A major critical and commercial success, it revitalized the career of its leading man, John Travolta, who received an Academy Award nomination, as did costars Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman.

Directed in a highly stylized manner, Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters' senses of humor and perspectives on life. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue. Pulp Fiction is self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a title card that gives two dictionary definitions of "pulp." The plot, as in many of Tarantino's other works, is presented out of chronological sequence. The picture's self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive use of homage and pastiche have led critics to describe it as a prime example of postmodern film. Considered by some critics a black comedy, the film is also frequently labeled a "neo-noir." Critic Geoffrey O'Brien argues otherwise: "The old-time noir passions, the brooding melancholy and operatic death scenes, would be altogether out of place in the crisp and brightly lit wonderland that Tarantino conjures up.

[It is] neither neo-noir nor a parody of noir." Similarly, Nicholas Christopher calls it "more gangland camp than neo-noir," and Foster Hirsch suggests that its "trippy fantasy landscape" characterizes it more definitively than any genre label. Pulp Fiction is viewed as the inspiration for many later movies that adopted various elements of its style. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution and its consequent profitability had a sweeping effect on the field of independent cinema. Considered a cultural watershed, Pulp Fiction's influence has been felt in several other media, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. View All Critic Reviews (78) Audience Reviews for Pulp Fiction "Just because you are a character doesn't mean that you have character" By the time that Quentin Tarantino's sophomore effort reached us in 1994, he had already been heralded as the new wunderkind of American cinema. His debut Reservoir Dogs recaptured the magic of the heist thriller and his screenplay to the bold and brilliant True Romance opened up a real desire to see more of his fast-talking low life's. Pulp Fiction is no different and is now widely considered a cinematic classic.

It received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director and one for each of it's leading trio of actors in Travolta, Thurman and Jackson. It walked away with the Best Screenplay award and it won the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. On this evidence alone, it's hard to argue that Tarantino not only delivered on, but surpassed, his early promise. In L.A.'s criminal underworld, the lives and stories of the inhabitants intertwine. There are two hitmen with very different outlooks, a boxer forced to take a dive for the money, a gangster's moll who likes to dance and do drugs and many others who play a part in shaping their redemptive paths. "...a shapeless mass of matter" or "a magazine or book containing lurid subject matter...". These are the definitions of the word "Pulp" which we are provided with before the film even begins. As a result, Tarantino's masterpiece is self-referential from the opening title card. What follows is only proof of his intentions to recreate the trashy and hardboiled pulp novels of the early 20th century.

Even the film's poster reflects the sensational cover art of these novels and it's this attention to detail that's often overlooked in Tarantino's homage to a bygone age. I suppose it's understandable that these details are overlooked considering Tarantino's highly stylish approach. He employs his (now common) nonlinear storylines and chapters, his abundantly original cast of characters and his dialogue has rarely been sharper. Quite honestly, he takes great pride in making pop-cultural references but the film itself has nowhere red the very pop-culture it revels in. To this day, it's endlessly quoted and few, if any, will ever frown at you inquisitively if you were to make a Pulp Fiction reference. It's not just the one-liners, the observant monologues or the endless back and forth, intelligent and philosophical discussions between the characters, it's the fact that snippets of dialogue actually matter in terms of the overall structure. Something can be flippantly mentioned one minute only for it to resurface with relevance at a later part in the film. Ultimately, it's the dialogue that brings every strand together and it's, quite simply, masterfully assembled. To embody his colourful characters, Tarantino assembles his most impressive cast yet.

Considering his relative obscurity at the time, it was a bit of a gamble to have John Travolta headline the whole affair as hitman Vincent Vega (the brother of Michael Madsen's Vic Vega from Reservoir Dogs) but I don't think I'd be alone in saying that it was a welcome return to scintillating form. Uma Thurman also impresses as Mia, the coke snorting gangster's moll who seems ill at ease with all the violence and whispers that surround her no-nonsense kingpin husband Marsellus Wallace (a brilliant Ving Rhames). Even the limited acting skills of Bruce Willis are all but forgotten as the self-important, ageing pugilist, Butch Coolidge (a role originally offered to Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon) but the real prize possession would have to be Samuel L. Jackson's Jules Winnfield, Vincent's unhinged partner who likes to quote passages from the bible and believes in divine intervention. There are so many great performances that it's hard to mention them all.

From top to bottom, the whole cast bring Tarantino's dialogue to life; from the aforementioned main performers to the supporting likes of Christopher Walken's Captain Koons who hid an uncomfortable watch "up his ass" for 2 years to Zed and Maynard - Peter Greene and Duane Whitaker's white trash who like to "bring out the gimp" and sodomise their captives. There's even a character who only gets mentioned by name but still makes an impression: Antwone Rockamora, brilliantly nicknamed "Tony Rocky Horror" who's mentioned in an unforgettable, lengthy discussion on the sexual implications of massaging a woman's feet and whether it's in the same ballpark as "sticking your tongue in the holiest of the holies". So iconic are these characters and blackly comic dialogue that most will know exactly what I'm talking about without me having to elaborate and therein lies the sheer joy and richness of the film. From illuminated McGuffins to Big Kahuna Burgers, Pulp Fiction is one of a kind. It redefined the crime film with it's emphasis on cool and endlessly quotable dialogue and there's so much attention to characterisation that Tarantino could have made several films from his material.

Watching "a bunch of gangsters doin' a bunch of gangster shit" has never been more enjoyable. Mark Walker Mark Walker Super Reviewer Pulp Fiction skillfully blends the stories of Jules and Vincent, a pair of wise cracking hit-men and their stash of unidentified merchandise, Marsellus Wallace the criminal kingpin they work for, his coke snorting wife Mia, scheming prizefighter Butch Coolidge who double crosses him and a pair of small-time hold up artists. Upon the success of Reservoir Dogs, opinion was heavily divided as to Quentin's merit as a film maker, many condemning him as nothing more than a plagiarist passing off the ideas of better film makers as his own. Pulp Fiction silenced these critics and scooped the Palm d'Or at Cannes and by rights should have won best picture at the Oscars of that year. As you can probably tell, there is enough material here to make three films, but Tarantino's brilliantly economical script (hard) boils the constituent elements into a brilliant homage to exploitation flicks through the decades. The disjointed timeline works magnificently and the film constantly surprises on first viewing and consistently entertains thereafter.

Many speak of memorable scenes and memorable lines from certain films, but EVERY scene, EVERY character and nearly every line in this film has become iconic. It boasts an unequalled ensemble cast of the coolest of the cool actors, a similarly iconic soundtrack and it captured the imagination of an entire generation. This film is, and always will be, entrenched in my top ten favourite films of all time. xGary Xx ‎Pulp Fiction (1994) directed by Quentin Tarantino • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd 19 It’s all about the dialogue! This is the most quotable film ever for me and my absolute favorite from Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction perfectly works as a mix of different genres and you can totally feel the director’s love for cinema with so many film references that just mesh very well altogether. The writing is truly brilliant as the characters are all given a lot of care and are quite memorable whether they have big or small roles. Also, this film is really original in the sense that it manages to alternate all the different story arcs in an engaging manner, being constantly surprising and making the viewer relate to the characters to some degree.

I can usually pick a… 44 From the very first words uttered you know you're watching something special. In Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino already showed signs of his unique skill at writing dialogue. In Pulp Fiction he perfects it. When this came out in Holland, it became mostly known for two things. Firstly the fact that Travolta was playing a role he had never played before and secondly the fact that Tarantino made some great and unbelievably accurate cultural observations about Holland. Both were completely true of course, but that is not what blew me away. This was my first Tarantino and will always be my favourite. I was completely taken by his prose. There is practically no line of text, no piece of dialogue uttered in… 8 Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes & Best Screenplay at Oscars, Pulp Fiction was a force to be reckoned with at its time of release for it opened many realms that were previously thought to be non-existent and in the long run, didn't just influence cinema but other mediums as well. Everything about it was different from the norm and it still remains one of the most original & groundbreaking films to ever grace the silver screen.

Pulp Fiction intertwines three different storylines into one and is told in a nonlinear fashion. The first follows two hit men who are out to retrieve a mysterious suitcase which belongs to their boss. The second is about one of those two hit… Yes, I've watched this twice in two days. In my prior review yesterday, I stated that Pulp Fiction wasn't my favorite Tarantino film. I was wrong. Everyone has one of those films, one that you constantly fight with. Basically, Pulp Fiction has always been mine. When I first saw it at age 13, I loved it. I really loved it. It was when I was starting to watch film seriously, but after awhile, I almost forgot about it. Recently, I've been watching a lot of Tarantino, and I remembered how I haven't seen Pulp Fiction in so long. That brings me to my viewing yesterday, which was disappointing because I didn't remember it being as great as when I saw… A Review of Quentin Tarantino Directed Film, Pulp Fiction | Kibin A Review of Quentin Tarantino Directed Film, Pulp Fiction Sign Up & Access Essays Already a member? Login here Pages: 15 This preview is partially blurred.

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Sign up to view the full document End of preview Upgrade to view the full document Pulp Fiction a film directed by Quentin Tarantino was released in 1994 The film won the Academy award for Best Original Screenplay and the Palme dOr at Cannes The film is three days in the lives of two Los Angeles gangsters Vincent Vega played by John Travolta and Jules Winfield played by Samuel L Jackson their stories and some of the stories of the people that they deal with during those two days Some critics denounced Pulp Fiction for its violence yet the film is not about the killings that happen in it Pulp Fiction is about its characters in potentially comic situations Tarantino uses these characters and their situations to achieve a hipness a funky American sort of pop masterpiece This hipness is a laid back nonchalant attitude mixed with some vanity and a sense of loyalty all with a modern flair The hipness is all part of the gangster mystique which American movie audiences love so much and on top of that Tarantino even adds the haunting shiekness of upper-scale drugs such as heroin and cocaine Tarantino absolutely harps on the wonderful dichotomy that gangsters present to get this hipness across to the audience The gangsters are shown both at their coolest and at their

 worst having money and enjoying life with the top down and radio on or overdosing on heroin and having to save each other because going to a hospital would result in an arrest Most of the characters in this film are the very personifications of hipness and Tarantino accentuates that in new or at least less conventional ways Using conventional directorial techniques sometimes in unconventional ways Tarantino gets the viewer to experience the hipness of his characters and to laugh at traditionally non-comedic scenariosTo keep his audience calm and cool so that it may experience the hipness of the film Tarantino uses a lot of long static camera shots During a conversation instead of cutting from one character @Kibin is a lifesaver for my essay right now!!

- Sandra Slivka, student @ UC Berkeley Wow, this is the best essay help I've ever received! - Camvu Pham, student @ U of M If I'd known about @Kibin in college, I would have gotten much more sleep - Jen Soust, alumni @ UCLA Pulp Fiction (1994) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error WATCH NOW ON DISC The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Director: "No Small Parts" IMDb Exclusive: "Westworld" Star Thandie Newton Actress Thandie Newton has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Maeve in the HBO's " Westworld ." What other significant parts has she played over the years? Visit IMDb's Golden Globes section for red-carpet photos, videos, and more.

a list of 22 titles created 17 Dec 2012 a list of 26 titles created 10 Feb 2015 a list of 24 titles created 09 Oct 2015 a list of 36 titles created 5 months ago a list of 35 titles created 3 months ago Search for " Pulp Fiction " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Oscar. Another 60 wins & 65 nominations. See more awards » Videos An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. Director: David Fincher Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him. Director: Robert Zemeckis With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Director: Quentin Tarantino After a simple jewelry heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant. Director: Quentin Tarantino A thief, who steals corporate secrets through use of dream-sharing technology, is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO. Director: Christopher Nolan Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Director: David Fincher In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same. Directors: Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice. Director: Christopher Nolan A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Director: Jonathan Demme Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. Director: Frank Darabont The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. Director: Francis Ford Coppola Edit Storyline Jules Winnfield ( Samuel L. Jackson ) and Vincent Vega ( John Travolta ) are two hit men who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace ( Ving Rhames ). Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia ( Uma Thurman ) out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge ( Bruce Willis ) is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his weight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.

Written by Soumitra I don't smile for pictures. See more » Genres: Crime | Drama Motion Picture Rating ( MPAA ) Rated R for strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 14 October 1994 (USA) See more » Also Known As: £4,243,233 (UK) (11 November 1994) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia There is a persistent myth that all the clocks in the movie are set to 4:20 (although, certainly all the clocks on the wall in the pawn shop are set to 4:20). However, in at least two scenes it is obvious that this is not the case. In the "Bonnie Situation" while Jimmy, Vince and Jules are drinking coffee in the kitchen, the clock clearly reads 8:15. Secondly, when Vince and Jules go to retrieve the briefcase, it is "7:22 in the a.m.". The significance of the time 4:20 is that it is slang for smoking marijuana. See more » Goofs At around 2:13.

Harvey Keitel says to Rachel, "Say goodnight Rachel". She says "Goodnight Rachel" as she was talking to herself instead of to the guys. See more » Quotes [first lines] Pumpkin : Forget it. Too risky. I'm through doing that shit. Yolanda : You always say that. That same thing every time, "I'm through, never again, too dangerous". Pumpkin : I know that's what I always say. I'm always right, too. Yolanda : But you forget about it in a day or two. Pumpkin : Yeah, well the days of me forgetting are over, and the days of me remembering have just begun. Emil Sitka . . . "Hold Hands, You Love Birds!" See more » Connections Referenced in Curdled (1996) See more » Soundtracks One of the Best Film's I've Seen In A LONG Time... and still is 20 January 2000 | by MisterWhiplash (United States) – See all my reviews Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is a terrific film.

It also gets better with each viewing, especially if one of those happens to be on a big theatrical screen where all of the BIG compositions get bigger and more detailed. How much else is there to talk about it after all these years? It's filled with dynamite, sudden and always interesting action, great and naturally clever dialogue, and memorable characters. Also, the acting is always something to behold as by turns straightforward, over the top, subtle, and just downright menacing and spot-on. The directing is one of the strongest that we've seen from Tarantino, as he makes his choices in pacing with shots in unconventional ways but never in a way that would be distracting. And writing, already noted, has been copied by many, and only equaled by a select few. The dance sequence. Samuel L. Jackson's superlative monologuing. It has loyalty among low lifes, and many other odd characters that are all bad and not one is a villain or hero. And somehow even after years of parody and terrible rip-offs, it holds its own and- as one can say after seeing it at a midnight screening- holds its audience as much as it had the countless times before they saw it (or if they are, the first time).

The first time you're surprised, the second time you look for the clues or other ambiguity, and then the third time you laugh you head off. The fourth time... I'll leave to you. 331 of 610 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Pulp Fiction Soundtrack - Opening Theme (Dick Dale and His Del Tones - Miserlou) - YouTube Pulp Fiction Soundtrack - Opening Theme (Dick Dale and His Del Tones - Miserlou) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Aug 30, 2009 Pulp Fiction is a 1994 crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who cowrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references.

The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture; Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. It was also awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. A major critical and commercial success, it revitalized the career of its leading man, John Travolta, who received an Academy Award nomination, as did costars Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. Directed in a highly stylized manner, Pulp Fiction joins the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters' senses of humor and perspectives on life. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue. Pulp Fiction is self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a title card that gives two dictionary definitions of "pulp". The plot, in keeping with most of Tarantino's other works, is presented out of chronological sequence.

The picture's self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive use of homage and pastiche have led critics to describe it as a prime example of postmodern film. Considered by some critics a black comedy, the film is also frequently labeled a "neo-noir". Critic Geoffrey O'Brien argues otherwise: "The old-time noir passions, the brooding melancholy and operatic death scenes, would be altogether out of place in the crisp and brightly lit wonderland that Tarantino conjures up. [It is] neither neo-noir nor a parody of noir". Similarly, Nicholas Christopher calls it "more gangland camp than neo-noir", and Foster Hirsch suggests that its "trippy fantasy landscape" characterizes it more definitively than any genre label. Pulp Fiction is viewed as the inspiration for many later movies that adopted various elements of its style. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution and its consequent profitability had a sweeping effect on the field of independent cinema. A cultural watershed, Pulp Fiction's influence has been felt in several other popular media.

Peace Pulp Fiction - Review - The Satirist Pulp Fiction See also reviews of Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2 and also Tarantino satires: Harder and Scent of a Banknote . Directed by Quentin Tarantino Written by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary Cast Amanda Plummer.... Honey Bunny (Yolanda) Laura Lovelace.... Waitress Samuel L. Jackson.... Jules Winnfield Phil LaMarr.... Marvin Uma Thurman.... Mia Wallace Spoiler Alert: This review assumes you have seen Pulp Fiction. Love it or hate it, and most people love it, Pulp Fiction was probably the most influential movie made in the 1990�s. And its influence persists. It opened up a lot of new territory, especially in putting comedy-of-manners dialogue in the mouths of killers and other moral degenerates. Pulp Fiction was so hip and cool when it came out in 1994, it inspired countless imitators, and influenced other great movie-makers. This essay discusses: the use of violence; the comic dialogue, and the structure of Pulp Fiction.

Violence in Broad Daylight Perhaps a secret to the impact of Pulp Fiction is that most of the violence takes place in broad daylight. Most of the violent scenes take place during the day: Pumpkin and Honey Bunny�s restaurant hold-up; Jules and Vincent�s killing of the young drug-dealers in the apartment; Vincent�s shooting of Marvin in the back seat of the car and subsequent clean-up at Jimmy and Bonnie�s house; Butch�s killing of Vincent; Butch�s scenes with Marsellus and Zed. As we watch hit-men and mobsters and stick-up artists move through their familiar LA suburban world without fear of police�or of anything�our own terror is heightened. Suburban America suddenly seems vulnerable to the violent acts of smooth-talking, pop-savvy contract killers. There are really not that many deaths in Pulp Fiction, but the aura of violence is ever-present. The violence is handled effectively. For example, Vincent is killed, having been caught off-guard, while engaged in the very human act of taking a shit. But of course, it�s a plot device, because bad things happen every time Vincent goes to the bathroom.

The most disturbing scene is when Vincent must stab Mia in the heart with a hypodermic needle to resuscitate her after an overdose. I literally winced and turned away confronted with seeing such an act, despite having watched slasher movies since the age of nine�when a character is alive on the screen we care. Reputedly, this scene was shot in reverse; Travolta pulled the needle away from Thurman and the shot was reversed. Another way the aura of violence is created is that the characters talk about acts of violence that we don�t see. For example, Vincent speaks with both Jules and later with Mia about the Samoan guy being pushed out a window for giving Mia a foot massage. Or we hear about Butch killing a man in the ring, which we don�t see. Or again: the fact that Wolf writes down everyone�s names when he hears of Jules and Vincent�s problems suggests the possibility of him just killing them all to solve the problem. All this daytime violence has a surreal impact. Pumpkin and Honey Bunny hold up a coffee shop, a place where suburbanites normally feel safe. Jules and Vincent calmly dispatch four or five college students at 7:30 in the morning.

Then they casually talk about whether or not it was a miracle that they were not shot. �Shortly after, Vincent shoots Marvin in the car, and they drive around in broad daylight with blood all over their windshield. They drive to Jimmy�s, where they stand outside covered in blood while Winston the Wolf hoses all the blood off their bodies. Later, Butch shoots Vincent in his own bathroom in the morning, and then tries to run down Marsellus in broad daylight. As they stagger around the suburban intersection covered with blood, Marsellus thinks nothing of drawing his gun and firing on Butch, but hits an innocent woman to the horror of on-lookers. Butch and Marsellus end up in a pawn shop, where the owner takes them prisoner to sexually abuse them and perhaps kill them after. This violence punctuates our sense of suburban safety. Most crime-genre movies take place in urban, nocturnal settings; Pulp Fiction takes place largely in suburban daylight. The few night scenes are romantic interludes: Vincent�s date with Mia Wallace (which though not violent is still disturbing) and Butch�s dialogues with the lady cab driver and with his girlfriend, after his boxing match. All three segments suggest imminent or possible violence.

The first titled sequence �Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife� (after the two violent scenes preceding the titled sequences) fills us with the fear that Vincent will sleep with Mia and thus be caught and executed by Marsellus. The fact that other events occur which themselves are shocking is a plus, because the unexpected happens. The audience knows that the characters will make the wrong decision, so there is a sense of impending doom, followed by a surreally horrible nightmare come true. When Vincent tells himself in the bathroom that he will just have one drink and go home, we fear that he won�t do that, and the fact that he tells himself this makes it very effective. When he says �Home� it sounds so peaceful and uneventful that we know we won�t see him get there; meanwhile Mia undresses herself (just for comfort, not necessarily to seduce him but we don�t know that). �Instead, she vomits up the $5 milkshake. (Of course it�s ironic that Vincent thinks it�s so expensive when previously we saw him with a massive wad of cash, and willing to pay $1500 for heroin).

While Vincent drives Mia to Lance�s we fear she will die and Marsellus will kill Vincent. When they�re there we feel the dealer�s frenzy that he will be caught with a dead body. He�s trying to keep quiet and Vincent simply crashes the car into the front yard in the middle of the night. Again, the threat of violence is there even in quieter moments. Vincent and Butch see each other early in the movie, at Marsellus� club, and Butch�s lingering stare at Vincent for insulting him makes us think that Butch is a stupid boxer who will later be killed by the more violent hit man. Instead, the opposite happens The audience experiences an even greater feeling of impending doom in the second sequence, �The Gold Watch�. The most surprising thing about �The Gold Watch� is that we the taste of fatality about each bad decision. We fear that Butch will be killed for such misjudgment. As soon as he wins the fight he was paid to fix for Marsellus he is on the run. They might simply shoot him. Or the cab driver might give him away. Or his brother�s bookies won�t pay out.

The next morning, he is afraid when waking up to the violent movie his girl has on early in the morning. The fact that she forgot to pack the gold watch, makes us feel the perhaps fatal consequences of minor mistakes (in this cinematic world).� I can hardly believe he went back to get it. We know from previous movie-going that there must be a hit man at the apartment waiting for him. But Butch proves to be a survivor, taking a circuitous route to his apartment (a great tracking shot through a seemingly serene suburban neighborhood). �Butch is unbelievably lucky that Vincent is in the bathroom when he enters, but still I was shocked that he first stuck around to make himself a toaster treat�I would have beat it out of there. I guess it�s the ultimate product placement for Pop Tarts that Butch would eat one even with his life in danger. Of course, another preposterous coincidence is that he sees Marsellus on the street. And it�s something more of a coincidence that the store he happens to duck into is run by a shotgun bearing pervert with that absurd black clad creature locked inside.

But again, we feel suspense again that Butch will make a mistake, like going back to free Marsellus whom we believe may simply kill him once free. But black comedy that it is, Butch, after all he�s been through, asks his �Fabienne how her pancakes were, like it�s the most important thing. In the �Bonnie Situation,� after Vincent shoots Marvin. We experience the suspense that Vincent and Jules will be caught by the police driving around in a bloody car; and later that Bonnie will come home to the fear of impending violence as soon as we know that the robbers will inevitably confront the hit men. And on intra-scene level, the suspense that Vincent might come out of the bathroom blasting away. Comic Dialog Pulp Fiction�s greatest strength is its comic dialog. It�s a 2 1/2 hour talkathon, punctuated by 10 or so violent acts and an ever-present threat of violence. But the violence does pause and we are spared the spooky music that normally turns the screws on its viewers for the duration. Instead, we hear mainly mellow 70s music between and during the violent interlude.

The retro music and culturally-savvy dialog makes Pulp Fiction a comedy of manners as much as anything else, punctuated with cartoon violence to rivet your attention. Much of the clever dialog shows obsession with cultural minutiae, including brand name products. For example, Vincent famously tells Jules that in Paris you can�t buy a McDonald�s Quarter Pounder with Cheese; it�s called a Royale with Cheese. Or Lance, the heroin dealer (Eric Stoltz), states he�s willing to �take the Pepsi challenge,� i.e., a taste test, to show he can taste the difference between his $500 heroin and his $300 heroin. Vincent and Jules also discuss social mores, such as whether massaging a woman�s feet is really sexual or not. Vincent tells Lance that he finds it �against all the rules� that a man would key his car. Butch shows a sense of honor, both by risking his life to return for his father�s gold watch, but also to save Marsellus from his captors, even though Marsellus wants to kill him. We are shown criminal elements of society: hit men, a drug dealer, a boxer who fixes fights, and their women.

They all come across so real because of their idiosyncratic and surprisingly intelligent speech. Jules, the hit man, reaches levels of profundity and is so chillingly calm under pressure. We don�t usually think of hit men as wanting to quit it all and �walk the earth� as does Jules (Samuel L. Jackson). Vincent, the Travolta character, shows some flashes of intelligence, as does Mia, Marsellus� wife (Uma Thurman). Much of the humor is dependent upon uncannily intelligent dialogue under strange circumstances. Again, Jules gets great laughs from his way of dealing with people he�s about the kill, or in the final scene, the way he handles the robbers in the restaurant. �Point the gun at me,� he helpfully tells the woman who has aimed her gun at Vincent. He quotes the Bible again, as he says he always does before killing someone. We also hear the �distant� irony of characters contradicting themselves. In the first segment Vincent says he never watches television while in the third segment he vividly describes a show he�s seen.

Jules makes much ado to the young men he kills in the first scene that Marsellus is not to be fucked by anyone but his wife, but later he is raped by the hillbillies who tie up him and Butch. It�s also interesting that two of the scenes show Vincent bringing an ugly situation into the world of more law-abiding people: bringing the OD�d Mia to Lance (who at least isn�t a killer), and bringing Marvin�s body to Jimmie�s). Even in the first scene we are given comedy of manners: consider the casual attitudes of Vincent and Jules as they calmly take the elevator en route to a multiple hit, debating whether a foot massage is a sexual act worthy of the Marsellus� wrath. Their casualness is a source of humor later on, when they don�t seem to mind hanging around the scene of a hit to discuss whether or not it was a miracle they weren�t hit by bullets (you would think they would immediately leave the crime scene). Perhaps Jules� belief in miracles is the reason he ultimately survives while Vincent, a skeptic dies. Pulp Fiction�s Structure The structure of the three stories is also handled effectively.

For the final scene we return to the original diner setting with a different perspective, knowing the diner will be robbed and that Jules and Vincent will be in the scene; this gives us a certain satisfaction. We like seeing Jules give Pumpkin and Honey Bunny a surprise, since they were the ones who violated another unwritten rule by robbing a diner. But the structure also works nicely because we get to see the rest of Jules and Vincent�s morning. Because Vincent dies in segment two, we get to see him alive again and get that cinematic feeling about the preciousness of life, or the eeriness of knowing he�ll die�without having to resort to prequels or a final Butch Cassidy freeze-frame, or highlights of the person�s life being flashed at us during the closing credits, as in other movies. We are glad to see Vincent alive again. Another reason the violence is so well handled and so effective is because we see the character living for a while (and talking) before he dies, rather than just being a callous stickman who dies as in so many movies.

Or again, a virtue of the structure�that Vincent is killed at the end of segment two rather than later�is that as moviegoers we know that characters we like (even bad guy characters, like Butch Cassidy and Sundance) die at the end of the movie, so we are somewhat shocked by Vincent�s death. If he died at the end of the movie it wouldn�t have the same effect. Although we are shown interesting characters in extreme scenes (struggling for life, etc.) the characters remain superficial. Maybe this criticism is preempted by titling the movie �Pulp Fiction�; it�s not supposed to be deep. But we don�t know how these characters got this way (resorting to being hit men, or drug-users, fight-fixers, etc.). We are only given an all-pervasive cynicism. Perhaps these gaps are filled in by our imaginations: we�ve seen their stories in other films about similar characters, and those movies would have taken an unwanted moral theme about their decline in immorality and the sadness of it all. But even if it doesn�t detract from the film, in that this movie is not a psychological study, but ultimately�what is it?

�A black comedy, with touches of the surreal, such as The Gimp, the odd black-clad creature unleashed for the homosexual rape; or Jody�s (Roseanne Arquette) fascination with the needle in the heart�and her tattoos and rings all over her body. It�s amazing how completely free from a moral tone this movie is. Everything is just treated in blas� manner where consequences are strictly legal ones or death. No one seems to fear the police at all. When Mia OD�s, there is not even a doctor figure (such as in Wilder�s The Apartment (1960)) to come in lamenting about physical self-destruction. The accidental shooting of Marvin in the car is gratuitous even for the characters; it is simply another problem they have to deal with, such as changing their clothes. They even call in Wolf to deal with it instead. It is funny that The Wolf, this �expert problem solver,� who is after all so cool, just does the obvious things which the hit men should have figured out for themselves: clean off the car and themselves. There are only a few touches of an outside, non-superficial presence in the characters� lives.

Butch�s girl laments that what is pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the touch do not agree (but again: Butch has no lament at all for killing what turns out to be several people in his segment; he is even asked about this (how he feels about killing a man) point blank by the taxi driver and says no, it doesn�t bother him). Jules shows signs of spiritual concern but this is probably only introduced for its ironic effect; there is little hint that Tarantino is offering Jules� sentiments as a moral for his film. A virtue of sticking with the immediate present of the scenes, and the circular structure is that the movie suggests a much larger fictional world than it actually covers. We want to see more of Mia, Marsellus, Jules, and even Lance and Jody. Perhaps a prequel could be used to bring back the Vincent character; why did he spend three years in Amsterdam? But Tarantino may have a resistance to prequels and sequels. # All the little touches mentioned (and others) show that this is a thoughtful well-made film. But it has no moral. It is entertainment and a commentary about characters we�ve seen in other movies.

The movie depends on its �effects��the violence and threat of violence, the articulateness of its underworld characters, and its structure. Also, that there is such a good cast in small roles. It�s fun to see Keitel, Stoltz, Arquette, Willis, Travolta, Tarantino, and Samuel T. Jackson, and others. On a critical, aesthetic level I don�t know what to say about this film in the end. It is effective, entertaining, funny, powerful in scenes (though not cumulatively). But it teaches us nothing. Pulp Fiction gives us violence in broad daylight, hip dialogue and circular structure.

Question: Who directed the 1994 film 'Pulp Fiction'?
Answer: QUENTIN TARANTINO